Method oe joining corners oe boxes



lUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN BELL, OF HARLEM, NEW YORK.

METHOD OF JOINING CORNER/S 0F BOXES, &c.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 9,552, dated January 25, 1853.

To au whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN BELL, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Mode of Joining the Corners of Boxes, Drawers, &c., taking the place of dovetailing, halving, or similar methods and obviating the necessity of using nails, &c., in securing the corners; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figures l, 2, and 3 are elevations, Fig. l a perspective of the mortise, Fig. 5 perspective of inortise and tenon.

The nature of my invention consists in so forming a joint at the corners of boxes, drawers or similar articles as to prevent their coming apart when the lid or bottom is fastened on, thereby being secured in a manner superior to dovetailing or other modes heretofore known.

The joint is composed of a doupble oblique tenon and corresponding mortise, the lines of said tenon being parallel to each other, but drawn from both sides of a vertical line at the corner of the box at an angle otherwise than a right angle thereto, yet oining on said vertical line; these lines may be drawn reversed (or herring bone) that is the lines drawn on the side and end of the box, descend, forming an obtuse angle with the vertical line above the vertex of the angle; or may be varied by drawing the lines on the side descending and forming obtuse angles, while those on the end ascend, forming acute angles with the vertical line.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

Referring to the drawings in Fig. l, F is a representation of the side of the box and G the end of the side F.

The mortises being all laid out alike and their lines parallel to the each other, the description of one will suffice.

The lines join on the line A, B, which I call the vertical line at the corner of the box; but for better description they are delineated separately: one of the modes of laying out the mortise is to drawn the lines C, E, and C, D, from the vertical line A B,

forming obtuse angles on both faces viz A C E on the side and A, C, D on the end; or as varied in Fig. 2 the line on the side may descend and form an obtuse angle A, C, E, while that on the end will ascend and an acute angle A C D, be formed. Observing that the acute angle must always be as much less than a rightangle, as the obtuse one is greater than one: having laid out the tenen, the mortises are laid out to correspond therewith. In the elevation Fig. 3 being a representation of the end of the box, the tenons a. merely entered in the mortises, it 4will be perceived that the tenon, when forced into the mortise Z) on the side of the box, will rise and bring the line H or edge of the box, level with I, and if the bottom be nailed on, neither the side nor end can be displaced or separated without the removal of the bottom: viewed both on the side and end, the tenori has to slide upward or rise above the shoulders, to be displaced. Fig. 4, a perspective of the mortise on the side of the box; A B the vertical line, A C E and A C D the obtuse angles, the same as in Fig. l.

Having described the manner of constructing the joint, I would merely glance at the advantages it offers not only of security against displacement, but the additional one of being formed by a circular saw, working under a properly constructed table, for the reception of the material to be joined, by which the cost of production of articles requiring to be joined may be materially reduced.

Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- The joining of corners of boxes, &c., by means of double oblique parallel mortiscs and tenons, so that neither the sides nor ends can be separated or displaced without .previous removal of the top and bottom of the box, as set forth substantially in the foregoing specification and accompanying drawings.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name before two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN BELL. Witnesses:

E. KETGHUM, N. CRAWFORD. 

